The Science on Global Warming

GAMBIER, Ohio (November 20, 2007) The climate is right for a lecture on global warming by environmental scientist John Harte.

Harte will discuss "Global Warming: Why the Threat is Greater and the Solution is Simpler than We Think" at 7:30 p.m., December 3 in Higley Auditorium. Harte will also engage in a public conversation at 11:10 a.m., December 4 in room 109, Hayes Hall.

"When it comes to climate change, John is more sage than pundit," said Drew Kerkhoff, assistant professor of biology. "Few people in the world have a more comprehensive understanding of the ecological impacts of climate change, and even fewer are as articulate in communicating the important implications for the future of our species."

Harte holds a joint professorship at the University of California, Berkeley, in the Energy and Resources Group and the Ecosystem Sciences Division of the College of Natural Resources. His research examines the effects of humans on biodiversity, climate, and ecosystem structure and function.

He is the author of six books and more than 160 scientific publications on topics including biodiversity, climate change, and energy and water resources. In 1993 he was awarded a Guggenheim fellowship and was elected to the California Academy of Sciences. In 1998 he was appointed a Phi Beta Kappa distinguished lecturer and a distinguished ecologist lecturer at Colorado State University.

"John has conducted groundbreaking research on the environmental impacts of climate change," Kerkhoff said. That research has included the experimental warming of an alpine meadow community in Colorado. "In particular, he shows that changes in vegetation cover and carbon cycling in alpine ecosystems will likely lead to further warming, creating a positive feedback not accounted for in most of the models used to predict warming trends."

Harte's visit to the College is sponsored by Faculty Lectureships. His appearances are free and open to the public.